Finland, Portugal agree on migration, agriculture policies

Portugal and Finland on Tuesday agreed on migration policy and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) priorities,but left implicit differences on the financial framework and reform of the euro.

Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa disclosed it at a joint press conference after a meeting with visiting Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipilä in Lisbon, news agency Xinhua reported quoting Portuguese news agency Lusa.

Prime Minister Juha Sipilä´s visit to Lisbon is the part of his tour to the EU member states in preparation for Finland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Sipilä plans to meet with the prime ministers of all EU members states prior to Finland assuming the Presidency in July 2019, said a press release issued by the Finnish government.

“The agenda for next autumn contains a number of significant elements, including the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU, and negotiations on the multiannual financial framework and on migration are likely to remain ongoing,” Sipilä said.

“Finland’s Presidency comes at an important phase for the Union, as it coincides with the appointment of a new Commission and the time when new strategic priorities will be laid out. At our meeting, I highlighted the importance of investing in security and sustainable growth,” said the Finnish Prime Minister.

The prime ministers also discussed the Economic and Monetary Union, migration, climate and energy, the bioeconomy, digitalisation and articifical intelligence. The discussions also focused on the bi-lateral relations between the two countries.

“Finland and Portugal enjoy excellent relations, and there are many similarities between our two countries. We are both small nations on the edge of the European Union, which means that we tend to share the same perspective on a number of key European issues,” said Sipilä said.

“We also discussed forestry with Prime Minister Costa. Forestry plays a key role in the Portuguese and Finnish economies. I believe there is significant scope for us to develop our cooperation in this sector too,” Sipilä said.

Costa said that Finland will assume the presidency of the European Union in the second half of next year and Portugal has maintained with the country "an excellent cooperation" at the level of the European Council, news agency Xinhua reported quoting Portuguese news agency Lusa.

Costa said that there have been "identical or very similar" positions between Portugal and Finland within the European Union, migration policies and the CAP, "in particular on rural development and the importance of giving new attention to forest areas," .

"There are other matters for which we do not have a totally convergent position, but being good-faith and committed partners, we are well aware that it is the talk that people understand. So we must make a common effort to approximate positions," the Portuguese prime minister said, cited by Lusa news agency.

Prior to the meeting, the two prime ministers had visited the multinational company Nokia in Alfragide, Oeiras near capital Lisbon, where they inaugurated the "Knowledge" building for research area, said the Finnish government press release.

At an economic forum on relations between Portugal and Finland that took place in Lisbon on Tuesday, Costa invited companies from Finland to invest in his country in the field of management of forest resources and the exploitation of energy generation.

Costa said that Portugal faces "an enormous strategic challenge" in the management of its forests, but it is also an enormous business opportunity.

Following the conclusion of his visit to Portugal, Prime Minister Sipilä will travel to Spain, where he is due to meet with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Thursday, 4 October.

At the meeting, Finland, Portugal and Spain will release a joint statement of cooperation on the bio and circular economies, said the Finnish government press release.